THREAD - THE SOUTHAMPTON BLITZ:

#OnThisDay eighty years ago - 23 November 1940 - the Luftwaffe targeted Southampton and the town suffered its most destructive raid of the Blitz so far.

It was front page news in America as the Nazis claimed Southampton was left a smoking ruin...

Southampton had already suffered many tragedies.

The Luftwaffe had marked out their main targets on an aerial photograph. These included the gas works at Northam and the Supermarine factory at Woolston. Over one hundred people died in raids on these targets in September 1940.

The Supermarine factory on the banks of the River Itchen at Woolston was notable for being the place where the Spitfire was designed and first built.

This image shows Bridge Road in Woolston after the nearby Supermarine factory was targeted in September 1940.

On 6 November 1940, a 500lb bomb hit the Civic Centre’s art gallery during a daylight air raid on Southampton.

The explosion killed thirty-five people.

Tragically, a class of fifteen children had been taking shelter in the basement and only one child survived the direct hit.

The 12th century Bargate was bricked up during the Second World War and used as an air raid shelter. Many of the town’s medieval vaults were also used as shelters.

Much of the surrounding area would be bombed but rather miraculously, the Bargate survived.

At this very moment exactly eighty years ago, a little after 6pm on 23 November 1940, the first bombs fell in what would become a sustained and brutal six hour air raid on Southampton.

Lives were lost, entire areas were flattened, and fires raged throughout the night.

The Garibaldi Arms was destroyed #OnThisDay eighty years ago. Twenty-six people were killed inside, including landlords Bert and Vera Reynolds. The only survivors were the Reynolds’ four children.

Titanic survivor Edgar Perry was killed. His wife, Martha, also died in this raid.

Bernard Street after the 23 November 1940 raid, compared to how it looked many years before the destruction of the Second World War.

Bernard Street, then and now. The Blitz would change the face of Southampton forever...

Southampton High Street during the Blitz in November 1940 and a similar view in November 2020.

The Red Lion pub can be seen here. It has been a pub since 1552 and, despite being damaged during the bombing, it’s still going today. Holyrood Church can be seen in the distance.

During the raid #OnThisDay in 1940 the bombs continued to fall until around midnight.

It was reported that the red glow of Southampton burning could be seen from France.

The Luftwaffe would return the following week, with two huge raids over two consecutive nights.

This thread will be continued next week, to coincide with the date the Luftwaffe returned to Southampton: 30 November 1940.

Thanks for reading and I hope you will join me again next week.